The four-word phrase detectives use to try to catch suspected killers.

As the Borce Ristevski case unfolds in Melbourne Magistrates Court, details are being revealed about how the father of two became a suspect in his wife Karen’s murder; from his movements in the lead up to her disappearance, to witness claims, and now even the means by which detectives attempted to elicit a confession.

While detailing the early Missing Persons Squad interviews with Ristevski, the accused man’s barrister, David Hallowes SC, revealed a ploy frequently used by detectives during interrogations, news.com.au reported. It’s a single phrase: Good people make mistakes.

“Is there something you want to tell me?” a detective asked Ristevski, according to Hallowes. “Good people make mistakes.”

“It’s a bit of a homicide squad technique,” the barrister told the court on Thursday, according to the outlet. “A technique used in the interrogation of suspects.”

At the time of the questioning, Ristevski had not been charged, nor was he an official suspect.

It was December 2017 before he was formally accused of murder, 18 months after his wife vanished from their home in Avondale Heights and 10 months after her remains were discovered in bushland in Victoria's Macedon Ranges.

Police allege Ristevski killed the 47-year-old at their Oakley Drive home then used her black Mercedes-Benz coupe to transport her body to Macedon Regional Park, killing the signal on his mobile phone along the way.

He’s now facing a committal hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence to send him to trial.

Ristevski has repeatedly denied any involvement in his wife's murder, and previously told police the last time he saw her was when she walked out of their home after an argument about finances.